Asked on Mar 05, 2015
Removing oil based paint from laminate flooring
I had my kitchen remodeled and realized there is oil based paint on my less than a year old laminate flooring. The flooring also has "grooves" between the board pattern and it is also in them. Please please, is there anyone who knows how to get this out and off the flooring without damaging it?
3 answers
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Hopefully these are small speckles of paint left behind by the remodelers, which the flooring should have been protected by the contractor I might add, but you should be able to remove it using acetone or lacquer thinner. Simply apply a small amount to a clean (white) soft cloth, rub it on the floor and the paint should come up. As far as the grooves are concerned you'll have to use something that will get into the grooves. A small soft brush wrapped with the same cloth should do the trick. The acetone or lacquer will soften the paint and allow it to come up. You don't want to use a paint stripper to dissolve it or liquify it as once this got into the grooves it would be almost impossible to remove. Ok, a few words of caution. Do NOT saturate the flooring with the acetone or lacquer. Be certain to use a white cloth. You don't want the acetone or lacquer thinner to wash the dye from the cloth and into your floors and be certain to open any windows or doors for ventilation. The odor can be a little overwhelming and breathing anything other than good old air is not the best for anyone. Neither the acetone or the lacquer will damage the laminate although it will temporarily look as if the sheen has been dulled. Simply wipe with the area with a general household cleaner then a clean dry soft cloth. The residue will disappear and the sheen will return.
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D & K
on Mar 08, 2015
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Thank you so much Dennis, I truly appreciate your knowledge. Would mineral spirits be OK? I was going to try that this afternoon. Yeah, not so happy with the painter the contractor got. He left kind of a mess! And not good at painting! The paint in some places is speckles and in other places, smeared where it looks like they tried to wipe it up. If you can, let me know about the minerals spirits. I truly appreciate your response, Susan
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Susan McDonald
on Mar 08, 2015
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Mineral spirits may work but once the paint is completely dried it does little if anything other than make the surface shiny and oily. Oil base paints use oil to suspend the solids preventing them from binding together and drying. The same holds true for water in latex paint. If this wasn't the case it wouldn't do much good to paint your house using latex paint knowing that the first good rain would wash it away. All that said I feel for you. There are a lot of people who claim to be painters but unfortunately the ability to hold a paintbrush does not make someone a painter. I used to hire paint crews as your contractor did to do my paint work but after a few situations like yours and my reputation on the line each time I decided it was better to do it myself. What's the old saying...if you want something done right, do it yourself!
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D & K
on Mar 08, 2015
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